City Of Wind
by Reno Keehl
Summary: Fai and Kurogane are on the run from a foreign army after the magic in Fai's remaining eye, but when life and love are on the line, what are these two willing to sacrifice in order to protect? Some language. Kurogane x Fai
1. Calvary and Strays

_Take me across time to the town of wind, Kuro-rin. Grant the dream of my white flower. It longs for only you… And Kuro-pu? Would you also take me by the hand with your gentle fingers? I want nothing more than for you to guide me there. _

"You slowpoke! Don't stop moving! They'll catch up to you! Then what do you plan to do?" Kurogane grunted as he took Fai's hand and helped him up from the ground. The sound of countless footsteps and horses were nearing behind them, and as Kurogane's sharp red eyes glared down the snowy path behind them, he could see the blurry image of a white horse and its rider turning the corner, followed by what seemed to be a whole army of mounted soldiers.

"Come on! They're catching up! Hurry!" Kurogane ordered, his heart racing within his chest as he looked nervously from the approaching stampede to Fai and back again.

The blonde wizard shook his head, his remaining blue eye looking more defeated than ever. "I'm not going to make it." He gasped before wincing painfully as some blood poured out of the wound on his side before falling to his knees. "Go on without me…"

The ninja looked on at him uneasily before he decided to sweep the wizard off of his feet and continue running. Carrying Fai bridal style, Kurogane was beginning to panic. The man in his arms seems to have lost too much blood for his comfort. Gazing down at Fai for a brief moment, he could not help but worry whether or not the wizard was going to survive. Letting out a frustrated grunt, his black brows furrowed and he kept running headstrong. His foot caught on a hidden root, Kurogane tripped, falling forward with Fai still safely tucked in his arms. He heard the sound of shifting steel by his ear, and he defensively tightened his hold on the wizard.

"Hand over the wizard, Stranger! He is of no use to you! Hand him over, or I will be forced to kill both of you!" The man on the white horse threatened, having caught up with them. His sword was drawn and the shiny steel blade pointed accusingly at Kurogane who laid in the snow indignantly.

"I will do no such thing, you bastard!" Kurogane retorted, quickly jumping to his feet and drawing his sword with one hand, still holding Fai in his other arm. "He will not leave me unless I die, and I highly doubt you could bring about my death." The ninja smirked confidently before running at the man on the white horse. However, just as he neared it, a mysterious blue force field appeared and he was prevented from entering it. And as he glowered threateningly at the rider, he found that the enemy's reinforcement had finally caught up to them as well.

With his pulse throbbing painfully in his neck, he glare about, looking from strange face to strange face, trying to decipher his next move or whether he even had a next move. Fai shifted in his arm, and Kurogane looked down for a moment to find that Fai's eye was opened again.

"I'll protect you…" The ninja growled under his breath like an offensive wolf. "You needn't get up."

"Kuro…tan… It's fine. If I let them take my eye, you'll be safe." Fai said weakly. "Just leave me here and go on without me. There's no reason for you to come to harm from all this. This has nothing to do with you." The blonde wizard added with a faint and forced smile.

His red eyes narrowing at Fai's remark, Kurogane frowned. "Shut the hell up, you coward. I am not like you. I took it upon myself to see that I get you out of here safely, and I am doing just that! If I have to fight to the death trying, then be it, but I will not simply let you die here by giving in. I will not run away…Not like you, you damn wizard!" Kurogane growled as he ran into the midst of horses and men with his sword drawn.

Somewhere in his head, he saw his inevitable end. He saw that he would fail and fall to ruins. He saw that the enemies' swords would take turns plunging into his flesh, drawing blood as they violently exited, and he saw what he feared most of all; Fai being taken from his stiff, powerless arms and mutilated before his very eyes. No! He simply cannot let that happen! Kurogane was determined to live, even if just to protect Fai for now. He must live!

With he all his might, he bolted at one of the enemies, slashing him across the throat and avoided hurting his horse completely. Watching as the bloody mess sprayed him and Fai before falling off its horse, Kurogane smirked. No fear. Hold that thought. The rest of the mounted soldiers were turning on him and they were almost surrounded. Smirk morphing into a sneer, Kurogane dropped this idea of fighting his way through and decided to turn around and run for it instead. Staying to fight would prove to be much too troublesome and time consuming. It would also be foolish and dangerous in regards to Fai's current condition. He was losing blood, and he was losing blood much too quickly. Precious time must be used to escape, and Kurogane knew that these fights should be avoided by all means.

Sheathing his sword, the ninja cradled the blonde wizard in both arms as he broke through the weakest part of the army's defense; the area between the white horse and the misshapen brown semi-circle of horses and riders. As the black ninja ran on breathlessly, he did not dare turn back around to see the progress of their once-again pursuers. It was no good… He was obviously very tired, and he could not tell himself otherwise. Kurogane huffed as he stumbled behind a large snow covered tree. Setting Fai down against it, he drew his sword to cut off a strip of the wizard's outer garment. Out of the tore piece of textile, Kurogane cleverly fashioned a haphazard bandage for his companion's wound, hoping that it would stop the bleeding, or at the very least slow it down until they had successfully escaped.

Fai flinched and shifted as the ninja applied the oddly fashioned bandage onto his wound. Kurogane exhaled an icy breath of air. "Don't move... You'll get the blood flowing again."

"Kuro-myuu…" Fai called out, forcing himself to sound playful.

"Shut up. This is serious, you stupid mage…" Kurogane growled as he gazed down on Fai. "If you die, what do I do then? I won't miss you or anything…" The ninja muttered, looking frustrated as he rubbed the back of his head. "It would just bring dishonour to me, seeing as how it is currently my duty to protect you… Don't get any weird ideas!"

The white mage smiled faintly at the black ninja's awkward remarks and childish denial. "Oh, I am sure you won't, Kuro-pi--" Before he was able to finish his sentence, Fai winced and let out a painful yelp. Clutching his stomach, he fell over gasping against the cold newly fallen snow.

Kurogane shook his head as he observed the wizard's transparent attempt at hiding his pain. Letting out an exhausted breath, the ninja sat down next to Fai, closing his eyes for a minute. The sharp winter air was finally getting to him, and it was clear that his body longed for sleep as his head slowly nodded and his mind drifted in and out of shallow slumber. Sleep sounds so pleasant right now, yes…but if he should sleep, then what would become of Fai? He cannot just let his companion come to harm simply because he wanted to catch up on some sleep or regain his breath. He kept arguing with himself, struggling fiercely against Orpheus to stay awake. The struggle was soon over, as the half of him that wished for slumber proved victorious over his more heroic half, and he nodded off, this time not to be wakened so easily.

Weakly glancing over at his sleeping companion, Fai winced before he forcefully pushed himself up from his sitting position in the snow. With his black gloved hands, he grasped desperately at the bark of the tree for support, breathing heavily as he clawed his way from Kurogane who was still fast asleep.

"Please forgive me for running again…"


	2. Into the Merciless Darkness

_Should I set out to a far-off place, I still want to be by your side… In my heart and in my mind, you are with me always. Kuro-tan, is that reciprocal? Do I hold such significance to you, or is it merely your strong sense of honour that supports your endeavor? _

Fai stumbled heavily down the snow covered path. It had come down as a thick white blanket, so thick that their previous footprints and the bloody trail he left behind were no longer visible. The blonde wizard let out a quivering breath, which was presented against the light grey sky as a puff of translucent white. Gazing lifelessly up at the darkening heavens above, the mage knew that night was swiftly sneaking up on him. With another whiff of the wintry air, Fai almost convinced himself that he would be okay with just dying on the spot.

Everything was so cool and so calm around him. He could hear nothing, and his one eye could only see the barren trees that laid scattered about in the wintry woodlands. For a moment, Fai forgot his main objective--he must seek out the enemy and turn himself in. His black gloved hands clutched at his chest as though to cease his panicking heart before he began to stumble down the snowy path once again.

"Surely…they are still out here somewhere…" The wounded wizard thought, strangely reassuring himself with the high possibility of him getting captured. A twisted smile played at his paling lips as he caught glimpse of a fire in the back woods. He broke into a short dash, but ran out of strength in his legs and fell to his knees. Pressing a hand firmly against his wrappings, he found that the wound Kurogane had previously tended to had re-opened itself and began to bleed out again. Fai winced at the sight of his own blood, and began to wonder if he would even live long enough to hand himself over. "At any rate," he thought, "if I died, the magic in the eye that the clone Syaoran took would be erased as well…And without me, Kurogane is of no interest to anyone. He would not get hurt."

With the intent of keeping Kurogane out of harm's way, Fai dragged himself to his feet again and continued to tread down the snowy trail in the direction from which there was fire. It seem that with every step that he took, the sky behind him became a shade darker, and in no time at all, the only thing that was visible was the flame, still burning brilliantly in the distance before him. The white wizard stopped to breath for a minute. Collapsing in the spot where he stood, Fai gasped short, irregular breaths. Slowly pressing a hand to his side to ease the pain, he looked out into the distance at the flame that now seem like but a far-off dream…like a mirage to a desert traveler. "What…a lovely end…"The mage thought to himself as his vision drastically blurred and he fell unconscious.

_Are we there yet? The same wind that blows through your hair is caressing my cold cheeks ever so softly. Please tell me that we have arrived, Kurogane… I want to be with you right now._

"Mm…" Fai sounded as his eye lazily fluttered open. It took him a moment to realize that someone had taken him in. Reality hitting him in the face, he quickly sat up but could not find the strength to stay so for long and fell back on his back and winced.

"Lay…down…" A young girl with long blonde hair said as she approached the bed where Fai laid. "…I…want…your…eye..." A devious smile crossed the girl's rose coloured lips as she spoke to him, extracting each individual word in soft and child-like confusion.

"This voice..." Fai thought. His eye flashing open, he found that the voice at his bed side belonged to what seemed to be Chii in an extravagant purple dress with big bellowing silk sleeves and a long train, which was decorated with an ample amount of lace and trimming. "Chii!" Fai sat up to meet the girl face to face.

The shock in Fai's wide blue eyes made Chii giggle. Leaning forward, the young girl planted a soft kiss on the black leather eye patch Fai wore over his missing left eye. "You know Chii? How strange…" Chii mused, her words still being slowly uttered as she gazed into his remaining blue eye.

The wizard found this world's version of Chii to be mostly terrifying, if nothing else. He immediately knew that this was not the same Chii he created back in Celes, or the queen that so grew fond of him in the sunless kingdom. No, this Chii only had the same body and the same face and the same voice. Her aura was completely different. It was dark, and somehow very evil. Fai could sense a blood lust from her that far surpasses any he had ever sensed before.

It was hard to imagine the same face that he created, based off of his mother's, was looking maliciously into his fear. Chii…friend…mother? What was this creature that currently feed off his fears? Surely, she was not his saviour. He knew right away when he saw her get up and walk towards her desk on the opposite side of the cabin room. Her flowing purple sleeves brushed softly against the wooden desk as she carefully examined a set of medical instruments. Another twisted smile crept across her lips as she picked up what appeared to Fai as a rather sharp pair of wire clippers. With the instrument tightly clutched in her hand, Chii approached Fai with her sleeves trailing at her sides.

"I…will…take…your…eye…now." Chii softly announced as she kneeled before Fai, who sat nervously on the bed staring down at her in bewilderment. Placing her left hand gently on his cheek, she caressed him mockingly, as if to say that he was truly helpless and that he belonged to her now.

The wizard's heart raced just as his mind did, and he began to question himself on whether the removal of his remaining right eye was what he truly wanted. He swallowed nervously and snapped his eye closed for a minute. Without a doubt, Fai was becoming deathly afraid and uncertain. He did not know whether or not his decision to give up his remaining eye would really save Kurogane. He did not know for certain whether or not he would even be able to survive with both of his eyes gone. In an instant, the memories that manifested itself as his life flashed before him--Kurogane. The image of the black ninja's face was all that he saw in the back of his mind. "I'm never going to see him again…" Fai suddenly realized and his eye flashed open to find Chii sneering at him in amusement, the clippers shining menacingly in her right hand. The white mage's heart skipped a beat, and without him much control, a single tear slipped out of the corner of his eye and his nails dug into the mattress and he braced himself.

The adorable young villain held Fai's right eye open with her left hand and smiled. "My…eye…" Chii whispered, holding the clippers up to the wizard's shaking blue eye. The room grew completely silent as Fai anticipated the extraction of his eyeball. Forced to stare into the face of his destruction, the mage could not help but to let more desperate tears escape his eye. The clippers flashed by the lamplight and time stood still. Fai's heart pounded rapidly within his frail chest, feeling as though it should explode at any given moment. His breath grew shallow before letting out a heartbreaking cry as the familiar face pried out his right eye with the silver clippers and snipped it from its nerves.

The white wizard fell back into the unwelcoming bed, both of his pretty blue eyes now missing. He could feel himself grow immensely weaker by the second and he almost wanted to end his life right away. The pain was tenfold worse than the pain from the removal of his left eye. He laid there, helpless, defaced, and blind, praying to the mercilessly dark heavens above that his dog warrior would come rescue him. Tears oozed out of his eye socket as his body shook in agony.

_Kuro-wanko…Would you still take me there even in my current condition? I must be so hideous now that my face reflects my heart. Would you still take me by the hand and lead me far from here? I want to see you so badly…A simple wish that would never be fulfilled._


	3. The Nameless Stranger

_On this afternoon, though their voices cannot sing clearly, two lovers wait to become one… Kuro-myuu, you could never know how much I want to become one with you at this moment. I feel so naked…so defiled and broken. My body lays here in this darkness, waiting for you. Please come quickly. Please come and gather me into your strong arms and reprimand me for running again. Lecture me about not living my life… Slap me, punch me… Do anything at all to re assure me that you are there and you still care, even as I lay a broken man. _

Chii, like the clone Syaoran that took Fai's left eye, had already devoured the wizard's eyeball and left the cabin. She had no further business with the poor man, and she took off with her cavalry, leaving Fai for dead inside the dimly lighted space. Chii did not care whether Fai made it alive or died alone inside. Chii did not know that if the white mage were to die, the magic would die with him, therefore she could care less.

Out in the vast darkness of the wintry forest, the ninja was awakening from his nap. His red eyes opening lazily, he glanced around only to find that Fai was nowhere in sight. Quickly, he jumped to his feet and made a mad dash in the direction they were being chased from. His wits coming back to him, he gradually slowed and came to a halt. Red eyes fiercely glaring at the new snow on the path, he cursed under his breath and kept running blindly, uncertain where he was headed, not having a specific destination in mind.

The forest around him as well as the sky was the darkest shade of grey, almost black as Kurogane chased the phantom hope up the familiar pathway. His chilly breath displayed itself as a white cloud before him for a moment and dispersed, then again, the cold cycle of breathing recurred. His mind panicked as he kept running aimlessly in the dark. What if Fai was captured? What if he was killed? What if he was violated again?

The black ninja bit down on his bottom lip with immense force, drawing some blood. The very thought of the possibilities enraged him. He simply could not stand the idea of anyone harming Fai. He did not exceptionally like the wizard, but he was a comrade, and it was indeed the core of his mission to see to it that Fai makes it back to the kid and the princess safely. If he were to lose Fai in such a simple mission, his pride as a warrior would be destroyed along with a little piece of himself. Why this was, he himself was uncertain. He just knew that even though he disliked and perhaps even hated Fai, he would desperately miss him if anything were to happen to him, though he denies all claims Fai makes on the subject. The truth remains…the blonde was a very irreplaceable part of his life.

The cold wind picked up as did Kurogane's pace, and he snapped his eyes shut as the first speck of new snow hit him in the face, diving into its inevitable destruction at mach speed. He growled before stopping in his tracks and wiping away the shattered snow flake from his face. Staring into the distance, he saw a part of light. A smirk crept across his face and he broke into a mad dash again.

"He has to be there, I just know it," he muttered to himself as he ran.

Fai fell in and out of consciousness as he lay in his personal shell of darkness. The only sound he could hear was the rushing wind through the leafless branches outside the window. The only sensation known to him at the moment was the cold of the winter and the pain surging through his body and face, all mixed with shock and the lifting fearing. He knew that the worse that could happen now was that he would die, and that alone seem rather appealing to him at the moment. His heart slowed and he clutched at his chest.

At this point, the wizard had given up all hope of being rescued and being given a second chance. He was holding on to life desperately up until now, feeding off of the hope that Kurogane would come and find him and take him away from this horrid nightmare. It must have been at least an hour, and there was still not sign of Kurogane. Fai drew a shaking breath, cried some more then began to laugh. The white mage drew his knees to his chest and laid in a fetal position on the bed, laughing and crying like a mad man.

"I'm going to die…" Fai whispered to himself, letting out an uncontrollable chuckle. "Ha…I'm going to die here…" He laughed again before taking a deep calming breath and sighing, tears staining his face. "I don't want to die anymore…I'm…"

The wooden cabin door slammed open, startling Fai and he stopped his soliloquy. His heart began to race before he heard a man panting as he closed the door and stepped towards him. As the unknown intruder approached him, Fai's heart felt as though it would implode at any given moment. He hyperventilated as the stranger gently laid his rough hand on his cheek and carefully drew him up from the bed. The scent was familiar and it overwhelmed his rapidly beating heart, soothing his shattered soul as he laid his head against the stranger's warm chest.

"Who are you…? Are you going to kill me now? Please kill me… He is not going to come for me, I know. I'm so scared…I…" Fai began with a smirk before he broke into tears again. His bloodstained black gloves reached out and grasped tightly onto the sleeves of the stranger who said nothing but looked down at the beautiful mess before him in disbelief and dismay.

The stranger cloaked in red and black swallowed painfully as he gazed on, hoping that his eyes were indeed deceiving him. His face contorted as he narrowed his red eyes, seemingly trying to keep his invisible tears from escaping.

The wizard's delicate, gloved fingers dug into the stranger's sleeves as his body tensed. He sobbed now, uncontrollably, his heart filled with self-hatred and regret. "Now I am just a bigger burden to him. If he cannot find me, then the princess would have to wait until we both return to move on….if we return… Why did I have to be so careless and get injured in the first place? Then with my faulty logic, I went and did this… I am completely useless now! I can't even help protect the princess… I can't even protect my self, and Chii probably got to him already…and…"Fai choked and his body grew limp, melting against the stranger's body, who in turn tightened his arms around the defeated man before him. "…if Kurogane gets hurt or dies, it is entirely my fault. Why am I so stupid…I…" The wizard grew quiet again. "I'm so sorry…Kurogane…" He murmured, seeming to have lost consciousness for the most part.

His words stung the stranger's jaded heart and he bit his bottom lip, drawing blood. Gracefully, he swept Fai up into his arms and pulled the wizard's hood over his blonde hair. Putting up his own black hood, he carried the other man bridal style to the door. Opening it, he let himself out, Fai in his arms, and began to run down the way he came. He had no plans. He simply wanted to get the broken man in his arms away from this hellhole. He wanted to keep him alive and rekindle his fire of life.

Outside, the sky was lightening up a few shades, and it was obvious to the stranger clad in black and red that dawn was approaching them. It was to his relief that the cloak of night was slowly but surely lifting itself, for light was needed in order for him to get Fai out of the forest properly. Sidetracked by the shade of the sky, the stranger stumbled and fell, bringing Fai down safely tucked in his arms. The mage stirred in his arms and the stranger's red eyes widened.

Propping up a knee, he sat Fai up against it, still with his arms wrapped around him. The wizard looked up with his eye patch and empty socket. His arm reached up and the stranger's strong, yet rough right hand grasped it and held it tightly.

_For the first time, they'll learn the meaning of happiness. Happiness is when I am with you, Kuro-rin. Happiness is simply me being in your presence…Has happiness escape me already?_

"Who are you…?" Fai repeated, this time seeming completely sober.

The stranger swallowed nervously, his grip on the wizard's hand tightening as if he were hanging on for Fai's life. He still remained silent, save for a few occasional sniffles and his shaking breath.

"Why won't you tell me? Please…Tell me your name…"

The stranger's body shook as he attempted to stifle his tears in vain. His red eyes releasing one drop of sadness followed by another onto Fai's pale cheek, his hand squeezed Fai's. "You…" He started then choked, "…you stupid mage! How could you still be thinking about the good of everyone else at a time like this?! You might die, and here you are worrying about me?! What is wrong with you? You never will change, will you? You're still the same coward that dances through life and flees… You're still going to make me chase you, aren't you, you damn mage?"

Fai's purpling lips parted slightly as though he was going to say something, but then they pulled into a faint smile and he reached up with his other hand to wipe away Kurogane's tears. "Kuro-bu, I did not think that even you could cry. And…have you been chasing me, Kuro-rin? I couldn't tell…"

"Shut up! Stop talking! Stop wasting your strength by making stupid jokes! Do you want to die?!" Kurogane growled, trying to control his tears.

As he looked down at the broken man in his arms, the ninja finally realized why it was that Fai was so irreplaceable to him. He was actually in love with him, which made it so irritating to be around him twenty-four-seven. He was angry that he did not understand his feelings towards Fai, and in turn, he tried to mask his confusion with anger and hate. However, all of his attempts were crashing in front of him, breaking the fiery mask that he had made for himself and leaving him defenseless to all the cruelties of reality.

Fai seemed as though he was quickly slipping away before him, and Kurogane's heart ached. He seemed so small, lying there in his arms like the time he was raped by thugs in Angels Country when he went to get Kurogane's sword back. Now, as he smiled up at him, the black ninja could not help but feel broken as well. Fai's effort to keep his spirits up by keeping a cheerful façade was simply proof that his old ways has not died, but it was also proof that he was trying desperately to protect Kurogane again. Kurogane pulled Fai to his chest and wept bitterly. The wizard felt his partner's tears soaking through his hood and he began to weep again as well.

_Just take me away, Kuro-puu… I do not want to remember any of this… And if given the opportunity, I want to keep living… I want to keep living with you…_


	4. End of a Chase

_Somewhere in time, the city cloaked in wind is beckoning to me. I still strive to make it there with you at my side. Kuro-pi, tell me, is it too late for that now? As you hold me close to your chest, I can feel your shaking breath and panicking fingers, and I feel like we are closer than ever before. Though I can no longer see you, I know that you are near. Though I can no longer see anything, I know that I have won because the moment you revealed yourself to me, I knew that all I have been running from could never reach me. Yet I feel as though I am still running, and this time it is completely against my will. I want to stay here, with you…always._

The icy wind brushed passed the two travelers as they sat staring at each other, with or without eyes. The air was silent save for a few passing birds and the whistling of wind that constantly rushed against them. Kurogane's tears ran down his cheeks silently as he gaze into Fai's watering eye socket. He began to wonder if the pain would have been any better if the magician was already dead on arrival. The black ninja sneered at himself for harbouring such a thought and picked Fai up again.

"Where are we going?" Fai asked weakly. His usually fair face was gradually losing its colour, making him look sickly, perhaps even dead.

Without replying, Kurogane gave a soft grunt as he made off in the direct of sunrise. There was not enough time left for them to be wasting on idle chatter. There was something that Fai had told him awhile back that suddenly tugged at his memories. Back when they were in Oto Country the two had went to investigate some rumors regarding a powerful new type of demon. Their investigations lead them to the Clover Lounge where they heard perhaps the most beautiful song in all the lands. And although Kurogane would never admit it, he too empathized with the singer. It would be so lovely to go away to somewhere far with the person he loved by his side.

At the time, Fai was the one to comment on the touching lyrics of the song titled Kaze no Machi He, but Kurogane also felt a deep longing. The wizard nonchalantly admitted to how nice it would have been to have someone to run away with. It was understandable, Kurogane thought, now thinking back. Ever since the party crash landed into Tokyo to meet Yuuko for the first time, Fai had be running all on his own. Even with the princess and the kid and Kurogane himself, the white mage had always been fleeing his past with an empty heart. Fai never had anyone by his side. How was it that he did not realize it before? Fai had always been alone, and he was indirectly telling him that he wished to break his solitude. How it is that Kurogane did not understand it all before? I'm so sorry, the ninja now thought, looking down at his maimed companion.

The pale sun was beginning to break through the grey winter clouds as the two approached the end of the barren woods. There at the end of the deathly trees they stood overlooking a small, sleepy town. An icy gust of wind sweep pass and blew Fai's hood off, causing him to stir in Kurogane's arms. Attention shifting to the wounded wizard in his arms, Kurogane's red eyes grew wide. Fai's skin was almost the same colour as his coat and his lips were a pale grey as if he has been dead for days. Just a little further, Kurogane told himself as he carefully slid down the snowy hill to reach the outskirts of the town below. Inertia winning the fight, the two went tumbling down the bottom of the hill, landing softly in the snow.

Fai let out a soft whimper as he laid in the cold next to Kurogane. His body shivered violently as he followed the ninja's warmth and found his way back into his arms. "I'm cold…" The wizard breathed into Kurogane's shoulder as the ninja drew him closer and shifted so that Fai now lay on top of him. He did so hoping that losing contact with the snow along with his own warmth would help comfort Fai.

"We're almost there. Just hang on a little longer. I'll get you out of this snow." Kurogane growled as he began to stand, bringing Fai up with him.

"I don't think I can, Kurogane," the wizard said weakly as he clutched onto Kurogane's cloak and buried his face in the ninja's shoulder.

"Shut up! Don't be stupid! Just…smile and call me those weird names you always used to." Kurogane ordered, picking the wounded man up bridal style once again. Fai nodded his frosted blonde hair and gave a weak grin.

"Okay, Big Dog," he said, voice still weak, though his tone was lighter.

Satisfied with Fai's compliance, Kurogane moved on. The wind picked up as the two men entered the sleeping town. It seemed as if a village from a Christmas diorama with the snow covered roof tops and glowing street lamps. This, Kurogane thought to himself, could be our city of wind. Passing through the gate his red eyes searched desperately for an inn, and finding one at the end of the old lane, Kurogane's face lit up.

"I'm cold…" Fai breathed again, curling his fingers inside of Kurogane's cloak and pressing his face to his armored chest.

"You'll be fine! Just shut up and smile!" The ninja instructed as he broke away from his cool strut and began running for the inn. Upon reaching the door, he hurried inside, pleased to find that a blazing fireplace awaited them in the lobby.

"May I help you, Sir?" The receptionist at the front desk asked before her eyes fell on Fai, and she let out a terrified yelp. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, yeah… Look, just please give me a room." Kurogane muttered, annoyed.

Snatching the key from the dumbstruck receptionist, the black ninja rushed to find the corresponding room. Finally stopping at the end of the corridor, he spotted the room with the iron four on the door. Gracelessly, Kurogane unlocked and opened the door. Letting himself in, he clumsily locked the door behind him with one hand and carried Fai to the bed. With the utmost gentleness, Kurogane laid his comrade down under the covers.

Fai looked up at Kurogane though he could not see. "Kurogane, I'm cold…" He repeated a third time, his voice weak and hoarse.

"Don't call me by my name, mage. I never want to hear you say it again." Kurogane instructed whilst unfastening his black velvet cloak. "Can you sit?" He asked, voice harsh.

The white mage nodded weakly and pushed himself up to a limp sitting position on the bed. With the cloak in hand, Kurogane got into bed behind Fai and threw it around him. Then fastening his arms around the wizard, he pulled him back and laid his head against his chest. "Fai… I won't let you be cold anymore… I won't let you run, and I won't let you hide. You will never be alone ever again." Kurogane spoke; his voice hoarse as if stifling tears.

Fai's heart sank as he reached his arm back to grasp at the back of Kurogane's spiky black hair. Gently he pulled the other man's head towards himself, and leaning up he planted a soft kiss on the ninja's lips with his frigid lips of grey. "I won't run," he whispered, reaching for another kiss, "Never again."

_I tell you these words with doubt in my heart, Kurogane. I would give anything if it met I could stay here with you. But we made it. We made it at last. If I should leave this lonely world behind, would you please hold on to my memories? I want to be missed…I want to be missed at least by one person, and you mean more to me than any world could ever._


	5. Finally, the City of Wind

_We made it there, Kurotan. Do you know what happens to the lovers after they reached the City of Wind? I guess Clover never said, huh? Perhaps in Clover's song the ending is hopeful, and the two lovers lived happily ever after. However, I have a feeling our song can only have one ending. It is inevitable that any moment now I will slip away from you. For once in my life, I want to keep living, but I guess I got what I have always wanted. They have always said to be careful what you wish for. I understand now. See, our melody is definitely a sad one._

Fai was growing gradually quieter, and Kurogane began to panic more. Embracing Fai tightly, the black ninja put forth every bit of effort his tired body was capable of to keep up conversation with the wizard. He feared that if the blonde remained silent for too long that the silence might grow to be permanent. Kurogane knew that his heart would not be able to take that silence; not now, not ever.

"Are you still cold?" Kurogane asked, his voice trying very hard to retain its usual harshness.

A few dreadful moments passed by before Fai finally opened his mouth. He inhaled a sharp breath before choking and gasping. At this, Kurogane's face contorted with concern as he looked on at the injured mage in his arms. Gently his fingers weaved through the locks of blonde, and in due time, Fai's breathing began to regulate.

"I'm… I can't stop being cold," Fai said, finally able to speak. His voice was barely audible.

"You'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you," Kurogane said, the harshness in his voice now beginning to melt away.

A small, faint smile tugged at Fai's paling lips, and he slowly turned around so that his chest was against Kurogane's. Leaning all of his weight against the lean, muscular wall, Fai draped his arms over Kurogane's shoulders and drew himself closer to the warmth of the other man. "Kurogane, I love you," he announced out of the blue, his head resting softly on the ninja's shoulder. Kurogane's eyes widened slightly at the sudden boldness, and Fai continued. "…Yes…I'm sure of it now. I love you more than my broken heart can stand to, and I am afraid…" his voice dropped and he whispered, "…the darkness is catching up to us, Kurogane."

"Don't say that! Don't you dare say that, you stupid mage! Nothing's going to get us! You're safe! You're perfectly safe!" Kurogane shouted angrily, though tears began to stream down his face. "Don't you tell me that you love me like it's some sort of farewell. It's not over!"

Silently, tears began to run down the white mage's porcelain face as well, and he buried it in the ninja's shoulder. His slender body shook as his fingers dug into the black cloak.

_Please stop…please stop running. Stop running and stand still for a moment with me now. Accept our fate. This is the conclusion of our story, the last measure of our song._

"You're not allowed to die. You can't! You can't just leave me here!" Kurogane continued to shout as his body shook from sobbing. "I…I---!"

Fai bit his lips and shook his head. _No, don't say it. Never say it. Never say that you love me. I am not meant to be loved by you. Please don't say that you love me. Please don't make this any harder than it already is. Say you hate me. Say you want me to go away. Say that I deserve to die! Call me a coward, anything! Just please don't tell me that you love me._

"I…I love you…too… Damn you," Kurogane confessed between sobs. "God damn it! Why is this happening? It was never supposed to turn out like this!"

Fai shook his head again. "Don't love me!" He finally screamed, clinging onto Kurogane for dear life. His slowing heart was shattering into a million of unrecoverable pieces as he held onto the black ninja and listened to his voice. He began to cry uncontrollably as he desperately tried to speak. "You can't love me. It will only hurt you. I will only make you miserable. Don't love me….Please…don't love me…" Fai pleaded, his voice trailing off as he felt Kurogane's gently stroking his back.

"The only misery I know is not being able to save you. Why couldn't it have been me before you? I…I don't want to live without you. I'm so scared that any moment now I will be the only one in this room. Fai… I love you more than you could understand."

"You….You said my name…." Fai pointed out, a faint but genuine smile on his lips.

"Fai…" Kurogane repeated, carefully pulling Fai away from his body. Leaning forward, he gently kissed the white mage who let out a quiet gasp before tenderly returning the kiss. Slowly, Fai melted into the kiss and pulled Kurogane onto himself.

_Stop… I don't deserve to die happy…_

Their tongues intertwined and parted; a testament of their desperate attempt at preserving their love. Their lips pulled away from breath before they resumed the kiss, this time only to be cut short when Fai suddenly pulled away once more.

"Kurogane, I'm sorry…I can't…" Fai began to speak, but his voice faltered and ceased.

Kurogane looked down into Fai's closed eye, his heart wavering painfully. It was undeniably true now. He could no longer deny it to himself. Fai is, in simple terms, dying. There was nothing he could do to stop or slow this process. Kurogane gazed down at the white magician before him for a moment longer, and when the mage did not stir or speak, the black ninja's heart began to race violently.

"Hey, you stupid mage," Kurogane ordered, half expecting what was to come next, "say something!" When he got no respond, he burst into sorrowful tears, gathering Fai into his arms, a beautiful white mess. Pressing the wizard's cold body to his chest, he sat there and sobbed helplessly. Kurogane was once again alone in the world. Fai D. Fluorite has slipped away.

"You promised me that you would never run again. I won't let you break that promise, Fai… I won't let you lie to me," Kurogane whispered. Reaching into his cloak to retrieve his dagger, the black ninja unsheathed it. With red eyes full off tears and lost of hope staring back at him through the steel, Kurogane swallowed. "I won't let you run from me. Never again." The steel meet the warm flesh behind his leather chest plate, and his crimson blood spilled onto the covers, soaking onto Fai's white coat. Toppling over, Kurogane held fast to Fai as he slowly bleed to death. As he lay in a puddle of his own blood, a smile shown on the ninja's face and he closed his red eyes. "Never again, Fai. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."


End file.
